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uavs
Posts Tagged “
Aerial
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uavs
uavs
Curly-Winged UAV Will Leech From Power Lines, Fly Forever
The next version of the DevilRay unmanned aerial vehicle will feature the ability to dock to and recharge from power lines. Made by Defense Research Associates, the UAV uses down-curled wingtips to make such a low-speed maneuver possible. The four-foot wide, propeller-driven flying wing will use "inverse capped helix winglets" to take advantage of the wingtip wind vortexes that form during flight, providing stabilization in lieu of a tail. More »
july 4th
Giz Service Announcement: Fireworks Can Blow Up Your Face
Hey everyone, just checking in again to make sure your day is going well. And you haven't blown your face off with some giant aerial fireworks. Because believe me, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission: If you act like the mannequin (manikin?) in the clip above, the last place you'll end up is in a hospital emergency room. Happy 4th everybody! [CPSC]
military tech
World's Smallest UAV Weighs 10 Grams, Flaps Like a Bird
AreoVironment is building the world's smallest UAV, called the Nano Air Vehicle, that has moving wings instead of a propeller or engine. DARPA has given the company $636,000 and six months to demonstrate an ultra-small UAV that will be under three inches long and under 10 grams. More »
mods
Pneumatic Antenna Launcher is Not for Dribblers
Getting an antenna into prime position is often a little challenging. Well, not anymore; checkout this awesome antenna launcher mod. Powered like a regular air pistol, it depends on pressurized gas to generate force, which then enables it to shoot a light line over a tree. More »
uavs
Plasma Thruster Powered, Cigarette Sized, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Take to the Skies
Cigarette-sized unmanned aircraft, utilizing plasma thrusters for power, may sound like something out of the pits of science fiction's B-rate movie bin to us, but we aren't DARPA. That's right the guys at DARPA are actually working with boffins at Oklahoma State University to make the vision a reality.More »
drone crash
Robot Plane Nosedives Into Truck Full of Soldiers
There's little info available about this robot drone's ill-fated flight, but it appears that the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) got confused and flew right into a truck full of soldiers. We can't be sure why this happened, but according the U.S. Defense Department, "A significant contributor to UAV mishaps is the experience level of UAV operators and maintainers." Was the soldier seen here piloting the remote-control craft? He seemed to have some sort of control device in his hands. There are plenty of R/C airplane pilots with astonishing skills—maybe the U.S. military could get some of those dudes signed up. [Danger Room and Naval Safety Center]
digital cameras
DIY Aerial Kite Photography
Spring is almost here. Now while it is rainy and blustery in my neck of the woods, it is surely nice out there somewhere, right? Spend this weekend putting together your own Google Maps with a kite camera. This project could be done for less than $20 and produce some really interesting photos to boot. More »
unmanned aerial vehicles
